Nissan or Subaru

[ron_langton]

Alright within a year here I gotta make a decision, I love to work on cars, and I'm gonna be able to get pretty much any reasonable price car. I'm stuck between a nissan (probably a 95 240 I hear good things about them) or a 2003 subi wrx sti. Which do you think would be a more sound investment? The all wheel drive suspension is pretty tempting but the nissan has so many more after market parts, plus I hear they are much easier to work with rather then a new car. What do you all think? (Also open to other car suggestions, though I would appreciate some reasoning to it all)

[AZhitman]

Wow - So many differences, where to start?

The STi is in Vette territory, fresh outta the box. No mods needed, it's fast as hell already. However, insurance may cost you more per month than the 240 would cost for a year.

If it's your first ride, easy decision. Go with the 240. No one should own a 30K car for their first ride.... The 240 will provide you with years of entertainment, and it'll be fun to modify. Plus, you'll save some of that $$$ for more important things (like finishing school and buying a house).

Welcome to NICO, btw!

[[Zero-S]]

First car=3rd gen maxima. Safe, affordable, can be made into beasts. That or a 240 like Greg said. But the max will get you lower insurance rates almost guaranteed.

[ron_langton]

Well Im just about out of school, and with in about a year I should be making almost a hundred thousand a year working with my dad as a large machinery mechanic, and having a car to work on sounds rather exciting but another thing I've heard is that you have to do a lot of upkeep maintanance on them so i would be spending most of my time trying to keep it running rather then "making it my car". (and at the rate im going a house probably wouldnt be a good investment for me)

[ron_langton]

Haven't really looked into a maxima it just seems so tame to me.

[AZhitman]

Well, if $$$ is no object, and you won't have time for maintenance, get the Sti.

And a house is ALWAYS a good investment - always.

[ron_langton]

I could see how a house could be a good investment but i don't know where exactly I'll be in a few years so it might be a little bit of a pain to consider investing now, It's not that upkeep is so bad it's just that i don't like the thought of having to fix one thing and then another thing go out. It's kind of annoying but i really do like to work on cars it's just that some maintanance is just so humdrum.

[ron_langton]

And I really like the performance of both these cars but i do like to make things better in a sense, and there's just so little you can do to a subi. I mean do you think the 240 would be reliable enough to make an everyday car and by night be a performance car?

[canadians14]

I have a 96 240sx and my dad has an 04 WRX non-STI and i think they are both great cars, which one is for you really depends on what you're looking for. Because of warranty my dad can do limited things to his car ( uppipe downpipe muffler cat exhaust reflashed ECU brakes ) and even with that losing his warranty is still a factor. I bought a '96 240 and i've loved it so far ..... only problem has been a front crank seal (120 bucks) and i've had the car for about a year now. If you're looking to heavily mod something ... i'd definitely go with the 240 cause theres no insurance to worry about. If a fast reliable car is in your budget i'd go with a STI and hold off on extensive mods ... really up to what you're looking for

[ron_langton]

Mods sound like a lot of fun and all, and I'm sure i will enjoy it but the thing about the subi is that i cant mod it with out a warranty problem, and the 240 I am affraid i will have to worry about it all the time. How often would you say that there are maintanance problems with a 240?

[ron_langton]

i want something to play with but also something i dont have to worry about? Am i asking for to much of everything right now?

[[Zero-S]]

The max is anything but tame...but don't take my word for it click meh

[ron_langton]

that maxima was tight, think that kind of work might be out of my league though

[[Zero-S]]

About the same amount of work that a custom turbo for the 240 would run you.

[nametakennow]

Or you could get something out of the box SR20 powered, IE an 00-01 Sentra SE, with performance package, of course. Maintance would be of little worry, and seeing as you can get one for $9k or so, you could devote a lot of money to fun. Drop some coilovers and a turbo on there and you're well on your way to a reliable (assuming low-mid boost), amazing little car, as well as weekend warrior.

Then again, the Sentra and the Max are fwd. The major benefit with those two is lower cost of ownership. Honestly, I'd probably go with the 240. It'd be cheap to get, own, and decently cheap to insure. On top of that, with all the money you save you could make a beast.

[canadians14]

most of the 240's i've seen here are very high mileage and tuned to the 9's and very little have had many signifigant problems. With your budget you would easily be able to afford a low mileage one which would run well for years to come.

[crzycav86]

Can you ask your dad if he'll hire me too?

I say get a 240. With the money you'll save, you could have a faster and just as reliable car than the wrx. It all depends on how many numbers you see in your bank statement.

...don't forget to ask your dad for me..

[jEzTeR]

The STI is a 2004 production car. $32.5KAwesome car for the cash 300hp/300tq AWD the aftermarket (not that that car needs much as far as mods) is really pretty darn good.

Hard to compare to a s14.

240's are awesome cars. If you spent $30K on one it would be very bad azz!

I looked real hard at the STI, EVO VIII and 350z. I went with the Z because...1) it is a Nissan 2) RWD3) best looking IMO4) its a Z car (my 2nd so far)

You need to decide what kind of car you want and what you plan to do with it.

Good Luck with a hard decision.

[rydwhite]

Get a Z like Jezter did.

240 would be a good first car and there is alot you could do to it. I don't think maintenance would be too big of a problem, but I'm not one to speak on that since I don't have one.

[Scorch]

boxer engines are *****es to work on.

[jdmfreak]

First off let me tell you that although the Maxima is FWD it is a fun car. The 95 Max Im driving right now used to be my mom's and is pushing about 300k and running strong. Granted its an auto, but fun nonetheless. Once that goes, Ill get my dad's 95 Max until I buy my car then Ill use it as a beater. Second that blue Max's power is definately well within your reach. If you ask him, he could probably piece kit together for you for a decent price. Im not sure if the kit price is still on his site, but you should contact him if you're interested in doing any thing involving the Max. If you want a RWD car, then get the 240 there are a lot of go fast optionsfor it and a lot of repairs are fairly cheap.

For a good turbo set up for the 240 follow this link. Its about one of our mods' turbo kit. It is a greeeaaaaat deal.

http://www.nissaninfiniticlub....91204

[krazy skwerel]

I say G35 coupe. Such class, good power, RWD, Pretty car, did i mention class?

[jdmfreak]

Hahaha my pops might get one in about a year or so. I cant wait to drive it.

[Onizuka]

Personally, I would get a brand new STI over a 9 year old 240sx.

more doors, more power and it has a warrenty.

[jdmfreak]

Yea so would I, but he wants to be able to work on it and upgrade w/o voiding the warranty.

[Rockenreno]

I wouldn't buy a new car yet. If you buy an STi, the value will drop like a rock over the next few years. You will lose a lot less money in a 240. They are very reliable, and you can make it damn fast for under $10k total. You would then save $20k and in a few years when you know what your doing you can afford that house or you could use that extra $20k on a new car in 2-3 years. I'd say that given your uncertain situation, go for the cheaper car (or even something in between) and then if you decide that you won't be buying a house, you can always sell the 240 for a minimal loss (as much as you would lose driving the STi off the lot) and buy that STi!

[ron_langton]

So what would you guys say is a reasonable price for a 95' 240? I think i will go with the 240 because of all the things I've heard, What rockenreno said really makes sense.Plus having the money to fix it up with the money ive saved by buying a much cheaper car sounds really good. Plus I think i would feel better if i happened to get in an accident with the 240 over an sti. So I dont get ripped off what do you think would be a reasonable price for a stock 240?

[StrangeLove]

I got my 95 240 from a dealer for $3,150. Nothing major is wrong with it. Fun car to drive, but its so slow! Thats my only major complaint... But(2) if you put in a new engine or turbo the stock engine. It becomes a new car, its no longer slow

If I were you, I'd go with a surpa... :rockon

http://www.supraforums.com

[Thunder]

well...first off...expect to lose money investing in a car. a car would be the worst "investment" you'd make. with that said, what matters is what YOU like. do you prefer an awd car with a flat 4 or an inline 4 rwd? would you rather prefer a new 30K+ car or a used car? do you prefer a car with 300hp from the factory or 150? it really depends on what you prefer. we can't make that decision for you. go drive both cars before you decide.

[[Zero-S]]

Your stock 95 240 is slow? Wow, obviously I got a freak cause mine was hell on wheels stock (for a stock car I mean). Then again the S13 *is* lighter :pface